canada.com - Some preemie babies 'give up' to blunt repeated pain

Premature babies are repeatedly exposed to painful invasive procedures, yet only 36 per cent of premature babies in Canada get pain relief, according to Celeste Johnston, a McGill University nursing professor and expert in neonatal pain. These babies "give up" to blunt the pain, Johnston said in an interview at the 13th World Congress on Pain that ends Thursday in Montreal.

"It's similar to depression or learned helplessness," Johnston said of the risk of long-term consequences. "About 20 to 25 per cent of preterm babies in our studies show no response when they have several painful procedures in a row."